Archive for May, 2007

Indian potato salad snack bento

Morning prep time: 3 minutes. Today we went to an event where there was Mexican food for everyone, but I’ve found it’s wise to bring along a snack bento for Bug just in case the food is either late or too spicy for him. On occasions where I didn’t bring something along I’ve sometimes been very sorry. So I packed a 260ml snack container with some leftover broccoli salad some friends had brought over, cherry tomatoes, and homemade Indian masala-spiced potato salad with yogurt, cilantro, fresh mint, mango powder, cumin, and apple & rice vinegar.

Masala mashed potato snack for preschooler

Lunch in a Box is nominated for Best Food Blog in the Blogger’s Choice Awards. If you’d like to cast your vote for speedy lunch packing, click here (you can vote for multiple blogs in the same category).

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Published by Biggie on May 3rd, 2007 tagged bento, for kids, glutenfree, potatoes, vegetarian | 12 Comments »

Ice blanket and inari sushi lunch

Morning prep time: 12 minutes. Everything was leftovers today except the fruit and inarizushi stuffed rice pockets. We had rice with dinner last night, so I let it sit in the rice cooker overnight and made the inarizushi pockets fresh this morning (using a refrigerated kit of triangular preseasoned wrappers and flavorings by the Korean Assi brand). It took a little longer than usual but was worth it to see Bug and his American friends tear into them at playgroup today (Bug’s lunch and mine are identical, so no duplicate photo).

Inari sushi lunch

When I was in Target the other week I picked up a Rubbermaid flexible ice blanket for US$2.50. Essentially a quilt of tiny ice packs, it can be cut apart to produce tiny reusable ice packs for packed lunches, or kept whole to wrap food in a cooler or wrap your arm/leg when hurt. Especially convenient for throwing into tight insulated lunch bags or small spaces; a similar product sells here. I threw a few of the little packs into a new insulated lunch set that holds today’s lunch.

Reusable ice blanket for packed lunches

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Published by Biggie on May 2nd, 2007 tagged bento, equipment, for kids, freezing, lactose free, onigiri or sushi, poultry, rice, tips, tofu | 32 Comments »

Pasta lunch and sanbaizu recipe

Morning prep time: 3 minutes. These were all leftovers, and I pre-packed the pasta the day before for speedy morning prep.

Pasta lunch for toddler

I keep a bottle of homemade sanbaizu dressing in the refrigerator as a quick flavoring for vegetables and throw-together vinegared salads (like thin-sliced cucumber). It’s also excellent with seafood (especially as a dipping sauce for steamed or boiled crab). I brought some along to a Dungeness crab boil a while back, and it was a big hit even among people who don’t care about Japanese food one way or the other.

Sanbaizu (three-flavored vinegar) is one of the four main vinegar dressings in Japanese cuisine, made with rice vinegar, soy sauce, dashi (bonito stock) and sugar. The other vinegar dressings are:

Nihaizu (two-flavored vinegar) with vinegar, soy and dashi
Amazu (sweetened vinegar) with vinegar, dashi and sugar
Ponzu dressing with citrus juice, vinegar, soy, mirin, bonito flakes and konbu

Sanbaizu #1 (sweet vinegar dressing)
3 Tb rice vinegar
1/4 tsp soy sauce
2 Tb sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 Tb dashi (bonito stock — instant hon dashi is fine)

Sanbaizu #2 (sweet vinegar dressing)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1.5 Tb sugar
1/4 tsp salt

* Recipes adapted from Quick & Easy Japanese Cuisine for Everyone, Yukiko Moriyama.

Lunch in a Box is nominated for Best Food Blog in the Blogger’s Choice Awards. If you’d like to cast your vote for speedy lunch packing, click here (you can vote for multiple blogs in the same category).

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Published by Biggie on May 1st, 2007 tagged bento, fish or seafood, for kids, pasta or noodles, poultry, recipe | 21 Comments »

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